Can for making quiet pack of smokeless tobacco

ABSTRACT

A can for holding and compacting smokeless tobacco has a bottom member and a lid. The bottom member has a closed bottom, an open top, and a first compacting vane located within the bottom member. The lid is adapted to slidably fit on the bottom member and has a second compacting vane located within the lid. The first compacting vane extends partially across the bottom member, and the second compacting vane extends partially across the lid. The vanes are positioned to contact each other when the can is closed and either the lid or the bottom member is rotated. The lid and/or bottom member are adapted to receive graphics. With smokeless tobacco in the closed can, tobacco located between the first and second vanes in the can is compacted into a tight wad by simply rotating the lid, either clockwise or counter-clockwise, relative to the bottom member.

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application claims the benefit of U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 61/090,899, filed on 22 Aug. 2008, the disclosure ofwhich is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to smokeless tobacco containersand more particularly to a can for smokeless tobacco having internalmembers for compacting the smokeless tobacco while the can is closed.

2. Description of the Related Art

At the present time most smokeless tobacco products are sold inrelatively thin cylindrical containers which are made of cardboard,metal or plastic. The tobacco containers are used for holding thetobacco and have a removable top for covering the tobacco within thecontainer.

When a user desires to use smokeless tobacco, the top or lid of thecontainer is removed and, using his/her thumb and index fingers, removesa pinch or dip of the smokeless tobacco from the container, squeezes thepinch or dip of tobacco removed from the container between his/herfingers to compact it into a small tight wad, and then inserts the wadinto his/her mouth. The lid is then placed back onto the container.

Almost all commercially available smokeless tobacco containers are, atbest, not easy or convenient to use. The two-piece construction ofalmost all containers in use today require a user to first open the lid,insert his/her fingers into the container to remove a pinch of tobacco,squeeze the removed pinch of tobacco to compact it while still holdingthe lid and container, and then replace the lid on to the container toreclose it. Most times this procedure can be both awkward and cumbersometo do.

What is needed is a new improved can for smokeless tobacco that iseasier to use and helps to retain the flavor of the smokeless tobacco bylimiting its exposure to air.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A can for holding and compacting smokeless tobacco has a bottom memberand a lid. The bottom member has a closed bottom, an open top, and afirst compacting vane located within the bottom member. The lid isadapted to slidably fit on the bottom member and has a second compactingvane located within the lid. The first compacting vane extends partiallyacross the bottom member, and the second compacting vane extendspartially across the lid. The vanes are positioned to contact each otherwhen the can is closed and either the lid or the bottom member isrotated. With smokeless tobacco in the closed can, tobacco locatedbetween the first and second vanes in the can is compacted into a tightwad by simply rotating the lid, either clockwise or counter-clockwise,relative to the bottom member.

The top surface of the lid can include a circular depression of about1/32 of an inch for receiving a disk insert, which can be replaced andhas a design, graphics, a picture, etc. to allow a user to customize thecan with graphics of choice. The can is made of a material that can bepainted and/or is adapted to receive a stick-on covering or wrap ofplastic or paper which has custom graphics of the user's choice. Thus,the user has the ability to initially select and subsequently change thelook of the top of the can or, if desired, the complete outside of thecan at any time.

The foregoing has outlined, rather broadly, the preferred feature of thepresent invention so that those skilled in the art may better understandthe detailed description of the invention that follows. Additionalfeatures of the invention will be described hereinafter that form thesubject of the claims of the invention. Those skilled in the art shouldappreciate that they can readily use the disclosed conception andspecific embodiment as a basis for designing or modifying otherstructures for carrying out the same purposes of the present inventionand that such other structures do not depart from the spirit and scopeof the invention in its broadest form.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other aspects, features, and advantages of the present invention willbecome more fully apparent from the following detailed description, theappended claim, and the accompanying drawings in which similar elementsare given similar reference numerals.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view looking down into the bottom member of anopen can for holding smokeless tobacco positioned next to the lid ofsaid open can;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view looking up into the lid of an open canpositioned next to said open can for holding smokeless tobacco;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the top and bottom of the lid of thecan;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the top of the lid and bottom of the canwhere graphics are on the lid;

FIG. 5 is a top view of five cans having graphics thereon; and

FIG. 6 shows five cans with graphics which are on the sides of the cansand cover a portion of the bottom surface.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a can 10 for holding and compactingsmokeless tobacco into a tight wad with a minimum of motion and noisewithout requiring a user to touch the tobacco in accordance with theprinciples of the invention. The smokeless tobacco can 10 is used tocompact smokeless tobacco into a tight wad while in the container bysimply turning the lid 12 either clockwise and/or counter-clockwiserelative to the bottom member 14. In this embodiment the lid has acontinuous smooth side wall 16 and the side wall 18 of the bottom member14 of the can is smooth and allows a user to grip the bottom member ofthe can when turning the bottom member relative to the lid.

Continuing with FIG. 1, the bottom of the can is closed with asubstantially smooth straight surface 24 and has an open top. The sidewall of the can bottom is substantially circular and perpendicular tothe bottom surface, and the can, when closed, has a size and shape whichcan be easily carried by a user and which can receive the contents of apackage of smokeless tobacco normally sold for daily use.

The circular side wall 18 of the can bottom 14 can have a height ofsubstantially ⅞ of an inch from the inside surface of the bottom of thecan and an inside diameter of substantially 2½ inches. Compacting vane26 located in the can bottom is securely attached to the bottom surface24 and wall 18 of the can and has a height of substantially ¾ of aninch. In this embodiment compacting vane is substantially ⅛ of an inchbelow the top of side wall 18. Compacting vane 26 can have a length ofsubstantially 1 3/16 of an inch to locate the end of the compacting vanesubstantially 1/16 of an inch back from the center of the can. The widthof the vane can be, more or less, substantially 1/16 of an inch thick.

Referring to FIG. 2, there is shown a perspective view looking up intothe lid of an open can positioned next to said open can for holdingsmokeless tobacco where the lid has a compacting vane 22 which extendsdown from the inside surface of the lid 12 for a distance which isslightly less than the depth of the bottom member to allow lid 12 to beplaced onto bottom member 14 of the can so as to sit on the top openportion of 14 can formed by side 18.

FIG. 2 shows a bottom view of the can 10. The bottom surface 24 on thecan has a circular indentation.

Referring to FIG. 3, there is shown a perspective view of the top andbottom of the lid of the can. The circular wall 16 of the lid has aheight of substantially ¼ of an inch and an inside diameter ofsubstantially 2½ inches plus twice the thickness of the wall 18 of thecan. The inside diameter of the wall of the lid is such that it can bereceived by the outside surface of the wall of the can bottom with asnug sliding fit, and can be easily rotated while on the can bottom in aclockwise and/or a counter-clockwise direction. Compacting vane 22 issecurely attached to the inside surface of the top of the lid, has alength of substantially 1⅛ inches, and a depth which is slightly lessthan the depth of the bottom member to allow the lid to be placed on thebottom member

The outer most end of compacting vane 22 which is close to wall 16 ispositioned to provide a gap of substantially 1/16 of an inch between theinside surface of wall 16 and the end 28 of compacting vane 22. Theother end 30 of vane 22 is located substantially 1/16 of an inch backfrom the center of the lid to provide clearance between the ends of thecompacting vanes 22 and 26 (visible in FIG. 1) as they move past eachother. The height of compacting vane 22 is substantially ¾ of an inch toprovide a clearance of substantially ⅛ of an inch between the bottom endof vane 22 and the bottom surface of the can bottom when the lid isslideably connected to the can bottom.

Referring to FIG. 4, the top of the lid can have a circular depressedarea 21 which is adapted to receive a disk having graphics or a picture.The disk can be of metal or plastic and can be either removed orreplaced by a user as desired. In some instances the picture may be of asignificant other.

The smokeless tobacco can 10, including the compacting vanes, can bemade of a durable plastic material or of a metal.

In operation a user purchases a packet of smokeless tobacco andtransfers the contents of the purchased packet to the bottom member ofthe can here disclosed. The user then places the lid 12 on the top ofbottom member of the can with the compacting vane in the cap positionedabout 90 degrees to either the left or right of the compacting vane inthe bottom member of the can.

The location of the two compacting vanes relative to each other isdetermined by the user.

In another method of use, the vanes can be located 180 degrees apart toform a straight line.

At this time the smokeless tobacco in the can is in an enclosed area notexposed to the air and is not compacted.

When the user decides to enjoy the use of smokeless tobacco, with thelid still on the bottom member and with the vanes about 90 degreesapart, he/she turns the lid relative to the bottom member back and fortha number of times to urge the two compacting vanes to move toward andaway from each other to compact the smokeless tobacco located betweenthe two compacting vanes into a tight wad. After a few back and forthturns the user removes the lid from the bottom member, removes a desiredportion of the compacted smokeless tobacco from the bottom member of thecan for use, and then replaces the lid onto the bottom member.

In the method of use where the vanes are 180 degrees apart, the userturns the lid relative to the bottom member clockwise until a desiredresistance is felt, and then repeats the turning process but now in acounter-clockwise direction until a desired resistance is felt. This isrepeated a number of time until the user feels that the pack issufficiently tight. The user now removes the lid and takes the tightlycompacted pack out of the bottom member for enjoyment.

With the can here disclosed, a user can obtain a very tightly compactedpack of smokeless tobacco without squeezing loose particles betweenhis/her fingers, without making any noise, and all with a minimum ofnoticeable hand movements.

Looking at FIG. 5, there is shown the tops of five cans to whichgraphics have been have be added. The cans are made of metal or plasticand can be painted or covered with a wrap of paper or plastic whichshows a picture or graphics selected by a user. The top surface of thelid can include a depressed area for accepting a metal insert such asaluminum or a plastic insert which has a picture or graphics. Thegraphics or a picture may be provided by the user. The insert can be ofmetal with engravings or of plastic with graphics printed on it. The useof graphics is not limited to the lid and can also cover the side and atleast a portion of the bottom of the can.

Looking at FIG. 6, there is shown the bottoms of five cans wheregraphics are on the side and part of the bottoms of the cans.

With this invention a user has the ability to place a picture ofgraphics on a part of the can or wrap the entire can with customgraphics of his/her choice. In addition, a user has the ability tochange the insert on the top of the can or completely change the look ofthe can on any given day.

A group of users who may find the disclosed can for smokeless tobaccoparticularly useful are Marines, Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen in combatsituations that want to dip, and do so without making any noise ormovements that may reveal their position to an enemy.

Another group of users of the invention may be hunters who do not wantto be spotted by the animals they are hunting.

While there have been shown and described and pointed out thefundamental novel features of the invention as applied to the preferredembodiments, it will be understood that various omissions andsubstitutions and changes of the form and details of the apparatusillustrated and in the operation may be done by those skilled in theart, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

1. A can for smokeless tobacco comprising: a bottom member having aclosed bottom, an open top and a wall; a first compacting vane locatedin said bottom member and having a first dimension which extends to saidwall and a second dimension which extends from said closed bottom tosaid open top; a lid for covering the open top of said bottom member andhaving a closed top and a wall substantially perpendicular to saidclosed top; and a second compacting vane located in said lid and havinga first dimension which extends to said wall, and a second dimensionwhich extends from said closed top; wherein a side of said firstcompacting vane is positioned to contact a side of said secondcompacting vane when said lid is on said bottom member and said lid isrotated relative to said bottom member.
 2. The can of claim 1 whereinthe lid of the can is adapted to receive a metal disk having engravingor graphics.
 3. The can of claim 1 wherein the lid of the can is coveredwith graphics.
 4. The can of claim 3 wherein said graphics are eitherpainted on the lid or are on a wrap which is on the lid.
 5. The can ofclaim 4 wherein graphics are on the side of the can.
 6. The can of claim1 wherein said first compacting vane extends along said first dimensionfrom a side of said bottom member to a center of said bottom member. 7.The can of claim 6 wherein said first compacting vane extends from theclosed bottom to the open top along said second dimension.
 8. The can ofclaim 7 wherein said first compacting vane is less than the depth of thebottom member along said second dimension.
 9. The can of claim 8 whereinsaid first compacting vane, along said first dimension, does not contactthe side of said bottom member.
 10. The can of claim 1 wherein saidfirst compacting vane, in said first dimension, extends from the closedbottom to the open top.
 11. The can of claim 1 wherein said secondcompacting vane located in said lid extends along the second dimensionfor a distance greater than said wall.
 12. The can of claim 1 whereinthe inside surface of the lid slidably fits on the outside surface ofthe bottom member.
 13. A method of providing a can for smokeless tobaccocomprising the steps of: providing a bottom member having a closedbottom, an open top and a wall; locating a first compacting vane in saidbottom member, said vane having a first dimension which extends to saidwall and a second dimension which extends from said closed bottom tosaid open top; and providing a lid for covering the open top of saidbottom member and having a closed top and a wall substantiallyperpendicular to said closed top; locating a second compacting vane insaid lid, said vane having a first dimension which extends to said wall,and a second dimension which extends from said closed top; wherein aside of said first compacting vane is positioned to contact a side ofsaid second compacting vane when said lid is on said bottom member andis rotated relative to said bottom member.
 14. The method of claim 13wherein said first compacting vane extends along said first dimensionfrom a side of said bottom member to a center of said bottom member. 15.The method of claim 14 wherein said first compacting vane extends fromthe closed bottom to the open top along said second dimension.
 16. Themethod of claim 15 wherein said first compacting vane is less than thedepth of the bottom member along said second dimension.
 17. The methodof claim 16 wherein said first compacting vane, along said firstdimension, does not contact the side of said bottom member.
 18. Themethod of claim 13 wherein said first compacting vane, along said firstdimension, extends from the closed bottom to the open top.
 19. Themethod of claim 13 wherein said second compacting vane located in saidlid extends along the second dimension for a distance greater than theheight of said wall.
 20. The method of claim 13 wherein the insidesurface of the lid slidably fits on the outside surface of the bottommember.